Sometimes Life Isn't What You Want
by Rochelle B2
Summary: (AU) When a new teacher arrives at Domino High he takes an interest in some of the boys and unlikely people become the greatest of allies. YYY, SJ, HO, RB.
1. High School Is Hell

Sometimes Life isn't What You Want

I don't own Yu-gi-oh

Author: Rochelle B

Rating: R/NC-17. It's all about where you pick it up.

Status: Incomplete, Unbeated

Main Pairings thus far: Yami/Yugi, Seto/Jou, Honda/Otogi, and Ryou/Bakura. Everything else is up in the air.

Other: Jou/Honda, but more serious in the past and more playful in the present. Light Bakura/Jou, Bakura/Honda, and Jou/Otogi. Pegasus/Jou, Yugi, Ryou, Noa. Peggy's a dirty perv folks who likes to go after young Ukes…but you knew that already.

Summery: (AU) When a new teacher arrives at Domino High he takes an interest in some of the boys and unlikely people become the greatest of allies.

Warnings: Yaio, Sex, Rape/Non-con, Language, Violence, Cutting, Drug Use, Prostitution, Angst, Self-Mutilation, D/s, Dark Humor, Perverse Humor, Blackmail, and some others things I can't quite recall. Plus I ripped ideas from another story I was working on but will probably never finish, so it doesn't matter. Yay.

Notes: I considered, briefly, putting Anzu and Noa together but then came to the conclusion that Noa is queer and had to dismiss the idea. So suggestions for the two of them would be welcome.

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__

Hey

Will you stay a while

My smile will not mislead you

Cause I've been alone

My Faith Turned to stone

Still there's something in you

That I believe in

Good For You, Third Eye Blind

(Reminded me of Jou)

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Chapter One: _High school is just Hell is Disguise_

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It was the first day of the new term and to say that Jou was less than enthusiastic was the understatement of the fucking year. He managed to haul himself out of the apartment, after shrugging into a reasonably clean pair of blue jeans and a t-shirt, without waking up his father from one of his frequent drunken stupors and trudged for the bus stop.

He road the bus to school everyday without fail and usually walked as slowly as possible from the bus stop, somehow managing to be late every single day.

It was an art really.

Honda showed sometimes but usually preferred to ride his bike. And, of course, sometimes Bakura just didn't show up. Jou kind of envied the freedom he had over his life. When he didn't want to do something he just didn't do it and when he wanted something he just…took it. Bakura was truly his own man.

Jou wasn't so lucky.

He got off of the bus and fought back a yawn. Mondays. He'd always hated Mondays, even when they didn't precede months of torture. See, Jou hated school with a passion that most people couldn't really understand. It was, after all, just school. It couldn't be all that bad.

And yet it was. He was sick of being told he was stupid and would never achieve anything, tired of the headaches and the humiliation his teachers chose to inflict upon him. As far as he was concerned it was just eight hours of being reminded of what a screw up he was and if he wanted to be told that he could just stay home and wait for his father to wake up.

The man was always more than happy to let Jou know how worthless he was and how he wished he'd never been born. It could have been worse because at the least the man never tried to raise a hand to him, but sometimes his words cut deeper than actual fists ever could.

"Hey Ryou!" Yugi came bouncing out of the game shop that Jou shuffled past everyday, with his usual enthusiasm.

He ran down a boy with silvery-white hair that Jou know as Bakura Ryou. Oddly enough the teen closely resembled Jou's friend Takishi Bakura but the one time he'd tried to ask the other teen if they were related he'd been promptly smacked in the head. From what Jou heard Ryou and Yugi were best friends, though Yugi seemed too…high strung from the infamously quiet and reserved albino.

How Yugi managed it every single day without fail was beyond Jou. Sometimes he wondered if Yugi ran on batteries that somehow recharged every night. The blond was sure that if he tried to be that cheerful for a long time he'd go completely out of his mind and crash, sooner rather than later.

Jou and Yugi Mouto were far from friends of course. Yugi was part of the 'Shiny Happy Sheep Clan' and Jou was more of a 'Stone/Goth/Punk Loser' Not that he was all of those things, but that was how he was classified. He blamed the abolishment of uniforms. Once upon a time it was impossible to label someone by how much black they wore but Domino Schools had gotten some wacky new superintendent who thought that individuality should be encouraged.

So Jou had been forced to wear his 'everyday' clothing to school and almost instantly the labels had started flying. He'd just been a little weird before, but now he was a total social outcast.

He hadn't really gotten it until one day he'd heard Anzu, the official school bitch and all around slut, talking to a bunch of girls about him. He hadn't gotten everything, but the basic gist was that he always wore black so he had to be one of those depressed types, and that they had heard he was poor and lived on the 'other' side of town, and _like-oh-my-gosh_ had they noticed he seemed to always wear the same three pairs of jeans.

__

Gawd did he even shower?

He let out a puff of air and put some serious thought into just turning around and leaving. Then a hand clapped onto his shoulder. He nearly jumped out of his skin at the soft chuckle that reached his ears. He looked up and a violet eye winked at him.

"And how is my favorite student today Jou?"

"Fine Mr. Magi."

Derek Magi was the only, and Jou meant _only_ decent teacher he'd ever come across. He was young, in his mid-twenties, and English. Not to mention fucking gorgeous but Jou preferred to keep that to himself least he offend one of the few people who were weird enough to enjoy his company. Derek was tall, a little bit taller than Jou was, with dark purple hair down to his shoulders and contrasted with is pale skin. His eyes were almost the same color as his hair and he usually wore a pair of darkly tinted round-framed glasses. He had a very laid back way of teaching and acting, as if he was more of a friend than a 'power figure to rebel again'.

He had his usual 'casual' thing working for him, with black slacks, a pale purple shirt (1), and a black tie.

"Glad to hear it." The man smiled. "I've got quite the project planned for this semester."

"Mmm." Mr. Magi was legendary for his history projects and the field trips that always seemed to accompany them. The last one had been a research project on the colonization of the world and had involved a trip to a ship yard that specialized in building 'classic' ships, to the local history museum, and a lecture from someone who re-created old maps.

Without a doubt better than listening to a teacher drone on and on about stuff Jou didn't, couldn't, and wouldn't try to understand even if he was able. He had somehow managed to be second in class ranks, behind Kaiba Seto. Sadly he was at the bottom of the barrel in the rest of his courses, so it hardly mattered how well he happened to do in one of them.

"You know Katsuya, if you need help with anything I'm around."

Jou blinked slowly, both at the use of his actual name and the seemingly strange offer. "I'm going great in yer class."

"I know." Mr. Magi laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "I know that. It's just…you aren't doing as well in the rest of your classes, as I understand it and I'd be willing to help out. I'd hate to see someone as bright as you fail, understand?"

"Thanks." He wasn't really sure what he thought of that. "I'll consider it."

"Good." Mr. Magi shoved him playfully. "I'll even help you in Maths if you so require it." Jou laughed as he was supposed to do. It was a very poorly kept secret that Mr. Magi had failed Maths all throughout his school career.

Truthfully Jou wasn't really amused by the joke, but he didn't want to let that show. No sense in calling more unwanted attention to himself by not acting properly. Magi bid him farewell, having to get ready for his first class, and vanished inside of the school building. Jou watched him go then sighed and plopped down on the stairs to wait for Honda.

Unfortunately he found that his usual peaceful wait was doomed to be interrupted. A black car, sleek and expensive looking, came to a stop in front of him. He bit back a groan, knowing full well what was about to occur and who was about to walk out. He was tempted to run off but wasn't willing to let anyone see him acting like a coward.

The door open and out stepped Kaiba Seto and Yami Atemu, two of Jou's fellow seniors and all around useless assholes. Safe to say that Jou didn't like them much. Well…okay, he didn't like Seto and by extension he didn't like Atemu, because he had the bad judgment of being Seto's best friend and cousin. Not that he could help the cousin thing, but blood didn't mean you have to like a person.

Did it?

Kaiba was about five centimeters taller than he was and was always dressed to impress; pressed shirts, slacks that Jou couldn't afford to breathe on, and shoes that were probably shined by his butler. (Because, of course, Kaiba was filthy rich, but weren't they always?) His hair was a dark reddish-brown color and styled in a way that seemed mildly dorky in Jou's opinion, like a few steps away from being a mullet or something, and eyes that were such a dark blue they were almost black. And when he was angry (and you could tell he was angry because his nostrils flared and this vein in his forehead throbbed. Not that Jou ever noticed that sort of thing…) was the only time that insufferable smirk left his lips.

Yami was shorted than Jou, but well bit. He dressed nicely as well, tending towards darkly colored clothing that was nonetheless expensive. He did have this strangely worn denim jacket that he always wore that made Jou sometimes think he may just be human under all of that spit and polish. His hair was weird, with three colored mixed in there, and fell in waves to just below his ear. It could have been worse of course; he could have had that weird spiked style that Mouto wore.

"Hello Mutt. Waiting for your master?" Kaiba drawled. His white trench coat, one in a collection of thousands if Jou had to guess, billowed in a way that may have been intimidating if Jou didn't think he was such an assclown. Instead Jou just kind of wondered if Kaiba wasted some of his seemingly limitless fortune on some kind of special machine or material that created the billowing effect.

"Yes, Moneybags I suppose I am." He returned mildly.

Yep, he hated Kaiba. Hated the smug way he smiled, hated the money he flaunted, hated the fact he was captain of almost every sport team (and what he wasn't captain of his was) hated the fact he acted like he owned the fucking school and people like Jou were _so_ completely beneath him. And most of all he hated the fact that Kaiba had been the one to start the rumors about him and Honda. Not that he gave a shit but Honda was never going to get laid if people thought they were together.

Jou didn't care because sex had never been high on his list of priorities. He had things to worry about like making sure his father didn't beat him half to death and putting food on the table.

Jou almost laughed. Kaiba thought he was so big and tough but in reality he wouldn't last five minutes in Jou's neighborhood…hell, five minutes in Jou's home would destroy him. He didn't realize he was smirking until he saw the way Kaiba was scowling at him like he wanted to knock the shit out of him.

And it was, of course, possible that he may do just that. While they usually remained at the taunting and insulting level they had on occasion come to blows. Some of the more amusing moments of Jou's high school career, that much was for sure.

Besides, it was a nice change of pace to be able to fight someone back.

Yami grabbed his cousin by the arm and rolled his eyes. "Com'n Set. He isn't worth the trouble. You'll just get your jacket dirty."

And times like that he was sure that there was nothing but emptiness under the spit and polish and maybe it was better that way. He'd hate to think as actual person was straining to get out of that shell of Yami's. That was almost…too cruel for words.

Jou made a gesture that could be interpreted as rude in most countries before reaching into his backpack for his CD player. Meh. Fuck them anyway. He put his headphones on, dismissing their presence. Noting pissed Kaiba off more than being ignored and Jou knew that this was the one surefire way to lead to a fight. Maybe he was just in the mood for pointless violence.

He saw Kaiba moving from the corner of his eye as if to hit him but rather abruptly someone was in front of Jou and obstructing his view.

Damn it.

Judging by the two sets of legs, one clad in ripped black jean and the other in black leather, Bakura and Honda had come rushing to his rescue. Or whatever it was they thought they were doing. He sighed and pushed the headphones back off. Hadn't even gotten a chance to turn the damn thing on.

"Haven't I already told you that this obsession with Katsuya has got to stop?" Bakura said while waggling a finger condescendingly.

"It's just not normal to provoke someone so much. It's worse than pulling pigtails." Honda added with a light smirk. Jou wrinkled his nose.

"Eww. Guys, dat's gross."

Kaiba glowered at the two of them but, true to form, backed off. Bakura and Honda had a bit of a reputation for putting people into the hospital, Bakura more so than Honda. The brunette didn't fight without a good reason where as Bakura was always up for violence, chaos, mayhem, and blood.

Plus he had a switchblade in his back pocket that security was afraid to take from him. And he was rumored to have killed his parents but Jou was pretty sure that was just exaggeration.

"You're lucky your master came to save you again Mutt." Seto muttered before allowing his cousin to pull him into school.

Jou shrugged then draped himself over Honda and batted his eyes flirtatiously while grabbing at his shirt. (A well worn Nickleback tee that may have once been black, but was now more gray than anything. It boasted, proudly, 'I survived Beer O'clock. It was one of Jou's favorites because it was comfortable and smelled of pine, cinnamon, and oil; pure Honda)

"Well ya head da man oh-master-mine. I waited for ya like a good boy. Do I get a treat?"

Honda laughed and, with a wide smirk, swatted him on the ass. "Maybe later."

"Sounds fun." Bakura said. "Am I invited?"

"You realize of course this is what all the rumors are about?"

The last little member of their merry band, if you could call them that, was Noa Kaiba and Jou's proof that being related to a jackass didn't automatically make you one. Noa and Jou had met the year before at their mutual workplace. At first he'd been shocked that a guy like Noa needed to work but apparently the green-haired didn't want to live off of his father's fortune. He and Seto were twins (2)but couldn't have been more different.

Case in point Noa was currently sitting in his four year old two-door Neon, (Luckily this was the 'Kaiba' parking spot) that Honda was constantly fixing up, and by the looks of things was wearing holey blue jeans, a long sleeved pink shirt, and a black shirt on top of it. Jou peered in for a closer look and saw that the shirt had a picture of _Legolas_ in pink tint. (3)

"I realize nothing of the sort." Honda said while stroking the hood of Noa's car lovingly. Jou sighed. He loved that damn machine more than anything else. He claimed it was his baby. "I do, however, recall having a girlfriend until your brother got it in his head to start telling people Jou and I are fuckbuddies."

"Girlfriend." Noa shivered. Honda arched an eyebrow, though they had done this many many times before. Jou decided it was only right he chimed in.

"Girl parts. Sick." They chorused, enjoying the exasperated look on Honda's face.

"You two are such…" The brunette trailed off and looked at Bakura for help. The white-haired teen had been looking at his nails intently. Jou noted that the blood colored paint was chipping away.

"Fags."

"Yes, fags, thanks."

"And you're greedy." Noa said cheerfully. He turned off his car and, after grabbing his bag from the back and making sure all of the windows were up, hopped out.

"Just because I happen to enjoy the things that both the male and female form have to offer, doesn't make me greedy." Honda sniffed then smirked wryly. "It makes you stupid. Right Bakura?"

Bakura was silent for a long moment then brushed an imaginary speck of dust from his black wife beater. "Asexual." With that he turned and stalked towards the building. Jou sighed.

"That's 'is fucking answer for everythang." Honda muttered as they walked after their friend.

"Can people even be asexual?" (4) Noa mused out loud.

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1- As a general rule I believe only Lex Luthor circa Smallville can carry off purple shirts, but maybe Derek can manage it.

2- It should be clear by now that I'm taking artistic license, right?

3- Outfit was blatantly ripped from my friend Ian. Gotta love the glam boys…

4- I often wonder that. I mean I know it technically means to reproduce on ones own, but if you aren't attracted to anything on two or four legs then what the hell are you? Other than weird I mean.


	2. And Gym Is Eternal Torment

Sometimes Life isn't What You Want

I don't own Yu-gi-oh

Author: Rochelle B

Rating: R/NC-17. It's all about where you pick it up.

Status: Incomplete, Unbeated

Main Pairings thus far: Yami/Yugi, Seto/Jou, Honda/Otogi, and Ryou/Bakura. Everything else is up in the air.

Other: Jou/Honda, but more serious in the past and more playful in the present. Light Bakura/Jou, Bakura/Honda, and Jou/Otogi. Pegasus/Jou, Yugi, Ryou, Noa. Peggy's a dirty perv folks who likes to go after young Ukes…but you knew that already.

Summery: (AU) When a new teacher arrives at Domino High he takes an interest in some of the boys and unlikely people become the greatest of allies.

Warnings: Yaio, Sex, Rape/Non-con, Language, Violence, Cutting, Drug Use, Prostitution, Angst, Self-Mutilation, D/s, Dark Humor, Perverse Humor, Blackmail, and some others things I can't quite recall. Plus I ripped ideas from another story I was working on but will probably never finish, so it doesn't matter. Yay.

Notes: I decided that, since I think Domino is fictional, it's just part of Tokyo. Like a really big suburb, bordering on becoming it's own town. (I live in one of those actually. It was once a 'burb but it eventually got so big that we're now a town/city. We even have our own sections for white trash and the ghetto folks. Not that I should mock, I live on the edge of the ghetto…)

Kind of short, but it was either five pages of fifteen.

And, of course, thanks to the reviewers! I love you guys. So, yeah, Noa is horribly OOC. But his life is drastically different here. Kaiba wasn't his actual father so he had a semi-normal first couple of years, he doesn't really hate Seto, and he's a teeny bit more well adjusted to the real world, in spite of being the black sheep of the Kaiba family. And there is nothing wrong with Jou's fashion sense...he's just...poor. _Coughs_

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Chapter Two: _And Gym Class is Torment_

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Jou ambled into the auditorium for the beginning to the year speech and then the handing out of the timetables. He followed Honda, who was following Bakura, and took a seat three rows from the back. Noa dropped into the seat next to him and, with an exaggerated yawn, slung his arm around Jou's neck.

He snorted then leaned over and made himself comfortable. After all far be it for him to refuse a little harmless contact when it was offered. 'Sides, Noa was hot and what person in their right mind turned down cuddling from a hot person?

Exactly.

"What the hell are you two doing?" Honda hissed while glancing over their shoulder at the clump of non-assembly affiliated teachers by the double doors.

Jou turned and watched them with a kind of distant interest then shrugged and laid his head back on Noa's shoulder. It was common knowledge that, while a girl and a guy could dry hump in the hallway, if two guys or two girls dared to so much as hold hands they'd be punished loudly, publicly, and in the most humiliating manner possible.

And then they'd call your parents.

Jou found he didn't care much. Neither did Noa because, as he was found of pointing out in some of their more…risky moments, worst-case scenario he ends up inheriting twenty-percent of Kaiba Corp and becoming a Multi-Millionaire. The horror.

"Welcome students and facility, to another wonderful year at Domino High." Sensei Kido, who had been acting principal last year, addressed them from his place on the stage. "As I'm sure most of you recall Mr. Lane suffered a nervous breakdown and left last year. She has officially resigned her position as administrator of the school and moved to Florida. I shall be taking over permanently."

Jou snorted. Kido was a total new age, wishy-washy pushover. He liked to talk about feelings and get to the root of the problem instead of just assigning detention. The year was looking up already.

"As my replacement in Environmental Studies we will have Sensei Pegasus." He gestured to a blond guy sitting on the stage. He was wearing an elaborate suit with lace at the cuffs and throat and his long silver hair hide half of his face. He graced the crowd with a smile that could only be described as…well, creepy.

Jou shivered and Noa glanced at him, eyebrow arched slightly.

"That guy freaking you out too?" Jou nodded and the green-haired teen pulled him even closer before winking. "No worries Katsuya, it's not like any of us have that class, right?"

"Yeah." He had a point. Jou loathed science with a passion and was happy with his Enviro Studies credit from the year before with Kido, taking it again he was not.

"In other news due to the success of Sensei Magi's teaching style we've decided to filter more money into the history department which means that now two, instead of one, of the teachers will be able to take their classes on frequent field trips." There was a light cheer in the crowd. Since there were six history teachers total a lot of kids had been forced to sit and glower out the window while Magi took his students out every other week. "However, due to some parent interjection, this is only open to seniors."

A loud groan followed by booing. Sensei Kido chuckled nervously and tugged at his tie some. Magi, who was also on the stage, leaned back and smirked. Clearly he was enjoying his superior's discomfort. He was kind of sadistic that way.

Honda had a theory that Magi had been 'unpopular' in school and that's why he appeared to get off on tormenting jocks, cheerleaders, and anyone who seemed too damn smug for their own good. More than football player had been forced to read a paper in front of the class, bright red and stumbling over words. Jou might have thought it kind of nasty if not for the fact that the rest of the teachers did the same thing to people like him.

"Hey." Bakura was frowning. "Isn't Magi the only grade twelve history teacher?"

Jou considered that briefly. Magi had, if he recalled correctly, seven large senior classes and one of the advanced juniors courses. (How Jou had gotten into advanced junior history was his secret that he had no intention or sharing with anyone.)

"Yea' I dink-"

"Because of this new arrangement, and a sudden influx of seniors wanting to take history, we hired two new teachers. Sensei Munroe and Sensei Garten." He gestured to a woman with dark brown skin and brown hair pulled back into a severe looking bun. She gazed around the room from behind black horn rimmed glasses. If Jou hadn't already known that he'd be in Magi's class again he might have been afraid. "Sensei Munroe will not be one of the field trip teachers because she will also be teaching basic junior history. Sensei Garten, who isn't present currently, will be teaching both history and European Literature so those lucky enough to have him for the latter will be included in the program."

Kido looked around the room and Jou couldn't help but notice that his forehead was shiny with sweat. He looked on the verge of either having a panic attack or just flat out passing out on the stage in front of everyone. The blond hoped for the latter because then there was a chance he'd tumble over the side of the stage into the band pit.

"That's everything. Seniors may receive timetables on the quad, Juniors in the cafeteria, Sophomores in the gym, and Freshman should stay put. There will be no homeroom and first period will be cut short. Thank you and lets make this year the best!"

No one was really listening. Most were already filing out towards their respective destination and the freshmen were headed for the twelve ninth grade homeroom teachers to find out where to report the next day.

"Think we'll be in the same homeroom this year?" Noa asked. His arm was still securely around Jou's neck and they were garnering a few glares as they walked towards the quad.

"Normally I'd say no way in fuck." Bakura was walking backwards in order to face him. He didn't have to worry about hitting anyone because the crowd had this funny way of parting when he was walking. "But with Kido in charge who the hell knows."

"All I know is that I'm in for another year of my loving brother in cousin." Noa sighed. "We're always in the same homeroom and the same classes."

"Maybe if you weren't in so many advanced courses-"

"I need the scholarship money." Noa interrupted Honda with a little wave. "I haven't dipped into my father's money yet and I don't plan to start it at the time I'm really supposed to become independent."

Bakura just snorted. "I understand. Kind of. …wait…"

"Did ya jus' remember yer poor and dat if ya had money to dip into ya would?" Jou guessed, smiling slightly. Gods knew he would. Not that he had anything against a hard work ethic and blazing your own path, but having no money was terrible.

The older teen just shrugged then turned to head down the steps. The Quad was right off of the cafeteria, which was on the bottom level of the school, hence the steps. It was mostly for eating lunch, skipping class, and holding club meetings.

They walked through the caf where the juniors were milling about and trying to find their names on the sheets of paper the teachers had been smart enough to print up and put on the bulletin boards. The boards usually held the menu for the day and announcements about sports and other things Jou didn't care about, but the teachers had wised up and realized this was the easiest way to sort classes.

Outside the sun was bright, the air was warm, and birds were chirping. Bakura stopped down, palmed a loose rock and hurled it towards one of the trees with deadly accuracy. Pale pink blossoms fell to the ground but more importantly the birds stopped abruptly.

A girl near them gasped then put a hand over her mouth and ran off.

Bakura arched an eyebrow. "What?"

"Nothing man, nothing." Noa smiled and withdrew his arm from around Jou. "So are we going to split up and track down our rooms or what?"

"You could just come visit your friendly neighborhood history teacher." It was Sensei Magi again. Jou turned his head to see the bluenette walking out of the building with a stack of papers in hand. He glanced around at the dimly organized chaos around them. The senior teachers had set up tables and had placed copies of their homerooms lists on them in order to let the kids figure out where they belonged on their own.

It worked of course, but it could take a while.

"You know what homerooms we're in?" Bakura sounded skeptical. "You stalking us?"

"Of course Bakura. I just can't get enough of your oh-so-pleasant demeanor that I feel the urge to keep tabs on you and follow you all day." Magi rolled his eyes. "I realize that the fact I'm a teacher makes you think I have no life but give me a little credit; I'm not that pathetic."

He shifted his papers and glanced down. "Lesse…Jou, Noa, Bakura, and Honda." He pulled out four pages and handed them to Noa. "Right on top, thank god. I hate this. Why can't we just mail out class stuff like other schools."

"That'd make sense." Jou said as he plucked his schedule from Noa. Bakura and Honda followed suit. A quick look around found that they were all in Magi's homeroom. "How'd we manage that?"

"Nearly identical schedules." Magi was speaking to them but looking around anxiously. "Plus maybe I put in a good word for you with Kido."

"Maybe?"

"It's hard to remember what I do over the summer. I was drunk a lot." He shrugged some then blinked at their surprised faces. "What? I'm a product of the eighties, I was born drunk. Among other things." A long pause then a bright smile. "That reminds me! If you four give Garten any trouble I'll be forced to make history a living nightmare for all of you. I'll have you in class reading from the book everyday, make you do homework every night, and keep you from all trips. I'll see you third block."

With that he turned and headed over to one of the tables and dropped his stuff down. He sat on the table and was almost instantly swarmed by kids hoping to be in his homeroom. Jou was pretty sure that he was frightened. He didn't know many people who could threaten to fuck up your entire year with a sunny smile on their faces.

"That was…interesting." He said finally.

"Cha." Bakura was looking at his schedule again. "Your teacher friend is creepy for a hippie. I respect that." Bakura was the only one of them who hadn't had Magi last year as, in the white-haired teen's own words, there was no way in fuck he'd ever be caught dead in advanced anything.

"I'm sure he's overjoyed." Jou deadpanned. "So I've got POP first and second."

"Aww, our little aspiring artist is in an honors course." Honda mock gushed and made a show of looking weepy. "First advanced history and now this."

Poetry of Painting was an honors art course that covered the history of art, various famous artists, and of course the students got a chance to do their own work. The best students were given an internship at an art gallery in Tokyo for a few months. Jou had practically driven himself crazy wondering if he got in.

"Fuck you." He blushed. He knew they didn't mean anything with the teasing. His friends were the only ones who took his art seriously and had actually encouraged him to take every single class the school offered. Not to mention the fact Noa and Bakura had gotten together and paid for courses at a studio downtown while Honda put forth money for supplies.

If not for them he'd still probably be doodling in his notebooks, not hanging out downtown.

"Later. We've got shop." Honda pointed to himself and Bakura. "We get to build our own car this semester so maybe we can all have our own wheels by Christmas. What about you Noa?"

"Computer programming and mechanics." Noa muttered, cheeks turning pink. The class he was talking about was more myth than fact; about five people a year managed to get into it. You had to take Computer Programming one and two and get full marks in it, plus manage to take a semester of a shop course and get full marks. (Which is where most computer junkies fell apart.)

Then again considering he had Honda and Bakura working with him while he was in the aforementioned shop class it wasn't that surprising.

Jou refrained from snickering though and instead continued his observation of the schedule. "History with Magi, European Lit with Garten-"

"Who we have to be nice too." Honda added cheerfully.

"Phsy Ed fourth…shit." Jou looked up and winced. "Are we together for that?"

Noa nodded. "Yeah. Fun, we get to have gym with the jocks. Is it soccer and baseball fourth?"

"I think so." Bakura muttered looking more than a little sullen. Last year they'd been split up between fourth, fifth, and sixth period gym classes, which were the times the jocks had their classes. Safe to say Jou and Noa had the tar beat out of them daily.

"At least the four of us are together this time." Jou sighed and brushed his hair out of his face. "Then lunch and Algebra…wait. This is wrong. I have Enviro sixth. I didn't think I failed…"

Noa's eye twitched. "I have it too. I don't know about you, but I know I didn't fail. I _never_ fail at anything. It's just not…we're going to talk to Kido." He took Jou by the wrist and began hauling him down the hallway. Jou blinked then looked back to see Honda trailing after them. Bakura had already melted into the crowd to do…something.

He never ventured to the principals office willingly. Jou understood that.

There wasn't much he could do at the moment though. Noa had a fierce grip on his hand and seemed determined to take this opportunity to live up to the Kaiba reputation of fierceness. It was true that the twins and their cousin seemed to be flawless, never failing at anything they stuck their toe into, and apparently Noa wasn't going to let his reputation be soiled.


	3. Twisted Reflections

Sometimes Life isn't What You Want

I don't own Yu-gi-oh

Author: Rochelle B

Rating: R/NC-17. It's all about where you pick it up.

Status: Incomplete, Unbeated

Main Pairings thus far: Yami/Yugi, Seto/Jou, Honda/Otogi, and Ryou/Bakura. Everything else is up in the air.

Other: Jou/Honda, but more serious in the past and more playful in the present. Light Bakura/Jou, Bakura/Honda, and Jou/Otogi. Pegasus/Jou, Yugi, Ryou, Noa. Peggy's a dirty perv folks who likes to go after young Ukes…but you knew that already.

Summery: (AU) When a new teacher arrives at Domino High he takes an interest in some of the boys and unlikely people become the greatest of allies.

Warnings: Yaoi, Sex, Rape/Non-con, Language, Violence, Cutting, Drug Use, Prostitution, Angst, Self-Mutilation, D/s, Dark Humor, Perverse Humor, Blackmail, and some others things I can't quite recall. Plus I ripped ideas from another story I was working on but will probably never finish, so it doesn't matter. Yay.

Switch to the Kaiba Twins

Notes: I swear this day will be over eventually. Just want to give you all a feel for what's going on.

Sensei Kido is based off of Jyou Kido circa Digimon 01. Derek Magi is Dark Magician (only quirky…and yes, you have permission to like him) and Calvin Garten is Celtic Guardian (only…um…slightly sarcastic and mean.)

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Chapter Three:_ Twisted Reflections_

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Noa

"What do you mean I need to take it again!?" Noa all but growled. Jou sighed and put a hand over his eye. Noa was freaking out. At least he wasn't the only pissed off one. Everyone who'd had Sensei Kido last year had to retake the course.

"I already explained it Noa." Kido said in that soft placating tone of his. Noa wanted to use the man's own teddy bear print tie to strangle him. "Since I was acting principal last year it is my opinion that my classes didn't get the full grasp of the course and I don't want to think I've failed anyone."

"Why you hippie son of a-"

"Noa!" Jou and Honda's hands were on his mouth and he was being pulled backwards. He hadn't even realized he'd lunged towards Kido and caused the small, thin man to cower in his chair.

"Never mind sir." Honda sweatdropped nervously. "We'll be going now." Noa growled but allowed himself to be carried out of the office and into the hallway, where he was promptly set down. He scowled and scuffed his sneaker against the floor.

While he was glad to hear that he didn't have to retake the class because he'd failed he couldn't help but be a little bit pissed upon hearing that he still had to take it over. He'd been top of his class (Behind his brother of course. Sometimes he hated Seto…stupid know-it-all. It wasn't fair. But hey, at least Mokuba liked him more…so he told himself anyway.) And he'd even managed to tutor Jou up to a solid C-average.

He didn't want to do it again! He refused. It was…not…right. And that Pegasus guy was creepy. Something about the way he'd been looking around the auditorium had made Noa kind of queasy.

"Well. That was enlightening." Jou said finally. Noa arched an eyebrow at him.

"How so?"

Jou smirked. "I didn't know ya could freak out like dat. I always thought ya were so calm and held together and really yer just as wacky as da rest of us."

Noa blinked at him slowly then shook his head. "I can't believe you used wacky in a sentence." And really he couldn't. Who the hell said wacky? He shoved his hands into his pockets.

"I don't believe you tried to attack Kido." Jou replied mildly. Noa scratched the back of his head and tried to decide if he wanted to be embarrassed or not. Sure, he'd made a scene (which was bad) but he'd been angry. He was still angry. This was stupid.

He knew there was a reason he had opted out of public school for the first ten years of his life; he just wasn't a people person by nature. He didn't take thins like stress well.

He missed his computers all of a sudden…and really really hated Seto. Forcing him to come to Domino had been Seto's idea, claiming that if he was ever going to be part of the company that he needed to learn to not be so damn anti-social, and wasn't that the pot calling the kettle black?

Asshole.

"It's almost third block." Jou said lightly. "We can go sit and sulk in Magi's class. Bakura will, in theory, pop up about halfway through."

Not that he had much of a choice. Unless he was up for detention until four he had to stay around until at least after sixth class.

"It's not fair." Noa said as he allowed Jou and Honda to direct him towards the steps. The senior classrooms were on the second floor and, since Magi was a senior teacher, that's where he would be. "I didn't like it the first time around. Why should we have to retake it just because he says so? Is that even legal?"

He could feel them exchanging looks over his head. Probably wondering why he was reacting so badly. He would have liked to explain it to them that he couldn't do things over. To do something again was just like saying he hadn't done it right the first time; that he hadn't been good enough. And he couldn't not be good enough.

It wasn't allowed. His adoptive father had made sure they'd all understood that failure wasn't an option. You got it right the first time, no questions asked, no excuses, and no second chances. There were no do-overs in real life because it wasn't one of those stupid video games he liked to play all of the time.

Only losers couldn't get it the first time around and Kaiba's weren't losers.

He sighed and raked a hand through his hair. It was funny in a way. As hard as he tried to get away from his adoptive father's ideals and beliefs some things just…stuck and refused to be washed away no matter how hard he tired. He could refuse to take the money he'd left them, turn his back on the company he'd built, change the way he dressed and the way he wore his hair but in the end he was still Kaiba Noa.

A shrill bell rang and he jumped, all but knocking Honda and Jou over. The doors swung upon and students poured out, talking and laughing as they moved past each other to their next classes. He wrapped his arms around himself and turned to look at his friends.

"I don't want to go to class."

They both stared at him for a long moment then exchanged looks. Then they looked at him again, eyes almost comically wide. He sighed, frowning at them. Okay, so maybe he wasn't the one to usually suggest running out on school, but today he just…wasn't in the mood.

"Roof?" Honda said finally. Jou nodded slowly.

"Ya. I'll go first." The blond winked at them then turned and walked away, no doubt headed for the second floor maintenance closet. The closet was where the janitor kept the cleaning supplies and, more importantly, had a ladder that lead up to the roof.

Noa had found it on accident while hacking the school's main computer. He'd been arranging for all of the fire alarms and sprinklers to go off at noon, thus cutting the day short, when he noticed a pathway he didn't know what there. A duplicate key and a pair of bolt cutters later and they had their own place to skip class without risking getting caught leaving the building.

Honda stood with him for a more moments then, with a light smile, walked off as well.

They never went at the same time. One kid vanishing into the closet was bad enough, but a group going all at once was sure to garner some kind of attention. Noa glanced at his watch. Two minutes before the bell announcing the beginning of the third class would ring. He'd probably slip into the closet a few seconds before it did. He waited a bit loner then headed for the steps.

The closet was between the girls and boy's bathroom, near the middle of the hallway, and opened up into the middle of the roof. He glanced up and down the hall, making sure no one was paying him any mind, before pulling out the key copy he had and unlocking the door. He slipped inside then pulled his shut behind him. Buckets, mops, brooms, rags, and various other cleaning supplies lined the walls and floor and any other available surface area. He picked his way over a bucket of murky lime scented water then grabbed the bottom run of the metal ladder.

He went up fairly easily considering how completely non-athletic he was. It was around a ten feet climb and, though he was only a little south of six feet, when he'd done it the first time he'd been unable to breath for a good forty-five minutes. While Seto and Yami played their precious sports all year, he'd always sat on the sideline with Mokuba, bundled in layers of clothing even in the hotter months.

He'd been a very sick child…now, that wasn't right. He'd been a sick infant. He'd been born about half the weight of his older brother, which had something to do with Seto being a nutrient hog in the womb, and had been sick almost from the moment he was born. Sometimes he thought that was part of why Seto was the way he was. The brunette was older than him by thirty minutes and seemed to take that as license to take care of him and treat him like he Mokuba's age.

Sometimes younger.

He remembered the first years with Kaiba very well. He'd spent most of them in a room, being tended to by nurses and doctors while Mokuba sat near by and kept him company. Seto would drift in and out occasionally but, more often than not, he was with their adoptive father, being groomed into the perfect heir. Noa wasn't an idiot of course; he knew the man had used him and Mokuba against Seto.

Had made them his weaknesses, manipulating Seto into doing what he wanted, and, rather intently or no, taken their brother away from them. Seto saw them as weak, fragile, and in need of his oh-so-wonderful protection because they couldn't care for themselves.

Noa pushed open the trap door with a pained grunt and let out a frustrated breath of air.

Mokuba had been so young and needed to believe that everything would be okay and Kaiba had created the perfect world for the child. Noa had been sick and needed medical care and Kaiba had offered it to him (and the best care money would buy at that)

Seto wouldn't do anything to screw with that directly.

Directly being the key word of course.

Kaiba and Seto had a game between of them, like…like the game of chess had never really ended and each where still trying to move the other into a corner. Who had won was still a bit of a mystery to Noa because even if Kaiba was dead, Seto was almost exactly like him.

Or so it seemed at his brother's colder moments.

"Need a hand kid?" Bakura's smirking face appeared in front of his face. The white-haired teen was crouched by the entrance to the ladder and was holding a blunt in one hand. His other was free and held out as if offering Noa the aforementioned hand.

He took it with a roll of his eyes and allowed himself to haul up. "Should have known you'd be up here."

The older teen just shrugged. "Just killing time."

"What to people have against time anyway? Always wasting it or killing it…" He trailed off when he noticed the way Bakura was staring at him, like he was five seconds from calling him an idiot. Which, if he thought about it seriously for a moment, he probably was. "Thanks for the hand."

"Not a problem." Bakura shrugged and had the grace to not comment any further. Other people were fond of commenting on how easily he was winded and how he seemed to be weak psychically. His gym teachers especially, like they didn't read his fucking file to find out ahead of time that he simply couldn't do the same things the other kids did.

Dodge ball for instance. Who the hell had come up with that barbaric excuse for a psychical education activity anyway? Some sick sadistic jock no doubt, who had gotten off on tormenting those who were less high on the social scale.

He was pretty sure he wasn't even allowed to take dodge ball legally. There was no way the school could afford the lawsuit that would ensue if he got hurt. He was going to have to look into that.

He sat on the sun-warmed gravel for a moment and tried to catch his breath. He'd gotten a little better at the psychical thing over the summer, but it still wasn't easy by any means. He was weak. It kind of sucked. Bakura stayed crouched near him, shadowed red eye regarding him. He couldn't help the shiver that ran up his spine. He hadn't been really afraid of Bakura for a long time but at the same time he couldn't quash all of his fear.

Mostly because he wasn't an idiot. Having a healthy fear of Bakura was probably one of the smartest things a person at Domino could manage. To the outside world Bakura was all rough edges, sharp teeth, and a cockney accent and that made sense.

Not many people could honestly say they'd had Bakura sitting at the side of their bed everyday for a week waiting for them to get over what should have been a twenty-four hour bug, while lecturing on the wonders of '80's Brit Rock. (Bakura was an undercover Billy Idol fan and a not so undercover fan of The Clash.)

He blamed the longevity of his illness of his stupid non-existent immune system.

Finally he pushed himself up and started shuffling over to the other two, Bakura close behind. He could smell the sweet smoke from behind and almost snorted. Jou, Bakura, and Honda had a bit of a reputation as potheads and so he had, by hanging out with them, gained a bit of a reputation himself. He half wished it was true and that the very thought of smoking didn't send him into a coughing fit.

He didn't mind people talking; he just wished he were half as interesting a person as people always seemed to think he was.

He sighed and plopped down between Honda and Jou. Honda arched an eyebrow at him in silent question but Jou looked to be a million miles away. His legs were dangling over the edge of the building, unlike his and Honda's, and his eyes had a far-off misty look to them.

Not that he staring.

…so maybe he was staring. He couldn't help it. Jou was…attractive in his own way. A little on the gangly side not to mention clumsy, and he would never share Noa's interest in all things computer, but those just added to who Jou was.

Noa had come to terms with the fact he lusted after his best friend. He'd had a…well, _infatuation_, on the blond since they'd met on Noa's job interview a little over fourteen months ago. He couldn't call it a crush because he wasn't entirely sure he felt towards Jou romantically so much as he was taken in by the boy who'd been his very first friend.

Being as sick as he was growing up (And though he was loath to admit it, still was) he hadn't had a chance to make friends, hence his dependence on Virtual Reality and the Internet. In fact he had his suspicions that Seto had turned Kaiba Corp towards such pursuits because of him. Not that his bother would ever admit such a thing and Noa would never admit to the…warm fuzzy feeling it gave him.

He loved his brother, even if he wanted to strangle him on occasion.

He poked Jou in the ribs then jumped back in alarm at the look of intense pain that contorted Jou's features. The blond grabbed his side, letting out a breath through clenched teeth. Honda reached around Noa and grabbed the blond by the back of his shirt and hauled him away the edge. Noa just stared, eyes wide. Honda was on his feet and had a hand on Jou's shoulder while yanking up the hem of his shirt. Bakura stepped in front of Noa to peer anxiously at Jou and the younger teen sighed.

Then shook his head. It wasn't like he needed to see. He already knew that Jou's torso tended to be a mass of molted colors and bruises. He'd first seen it on accident during Phsys Ed the year before. He'd wandered into the stall Jou was changing in, not really thinking anything of it, and come face to back with…well.

It hadn't been something Noa could really put into words. It was all purples, blacks, greens, and yellows placed half-hazardly top of tan, running together and overlapping on ribs and shoulder blades he hadn't noticed stuck out harshly.

Jou had burst into a fit of cursing and pushed him out on his ass, redressed, and then left school. Noa had talked to Honda about it and the brunette had simply shrugged and given him a brief explanation about Jou's father being a worthless bastard, before handing him off to Bakura.

The white-haired teen had, in his usual blunt fashion, told him that one of the 'rules' was that no one brought up Jou's bruises. Instead they worked in subtle ways to make things…better. Jou spent weekends with Honda, Bakura had helped him get a job, and so on.

"Fall down the steps again?" A hint of bitterness colored Honda's words as he moved away from the blond and reclaimed his place. Jou grunted then moved back to his spot, head bowed so that his hair brushed against his cheek.

"Yeah. Steps."

This was Noa's cue. Time to lie and act like he didn't know what was going on and, even though Jou knew that he knew, act like Jou was the best fucking actor in the world.

"Well that explains it. For a minute I thought you were going soft and I'd actually hurt you."

Jou's laugh was raspy. "Yeah, right. Wishful thinking doesn't even begin to describe that."

"Whatever you say man."

"That's Mr. You-Better-be-nice-or-else-I'll-fire-your-ass, to you." Jou said nudging him playfully. He stuck out his tongue childishly before turning away with a laugh.

"So you're sure you got that promotion?" Bakura had handed off to Honda. The brunette wasn't looking at them as he spoke, but rather out over the campus.

"Yep, in the bag. I am now assistant manager of the over-crowded, overpriced, college and high school student with no life, haven. Hail me." He poked Noa this time. "'Specially you checkout boy."

"Ha mother fucking ha. I could buy that shop, fire you, and then turn it into a…Mime university if I wanted to." A pause. "And then rehire you as my janitor."

Jou stared at him for a moment, golden eyes half-lidded and amused. Then he pushed him hard enough to make him topple over with a small shriek. Jou chuckled then reached over and plucked the blunt from Honda who made a face at him.

Noa just sighed and situated himself so he was leaning back on his elbows. Since Honda was at a slightly better angle he put his feet in the brunette's lap. He got a small smile and then they lapsed into a complete silence.

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Seto

"I heard you skipped school today." Seto said when Noa walked into the living room. The green-haired teen frowned, dropping his bag onto the couch, and arched an eyebrow.

"Did you?"

"Mr. Kido was nice enough to inform me that'd you'd been…misplaced at some point during the day, yet no cameras had picked you going out of one of the exits."

He didn't want to show it but he had been worried. Noa got sick so easily and sometimes he was hit by dizzy spells or black outs and if he'd one in the middle of a hall he could be lying somewhere unconscious. He and Noa had their differences but he had a duty to protect his family, a duty that he took more seriously then anything else in the world.

"Don't worry about it. Today was just a welcome back day anyway." Noa muttered while rubbing at his arm self-consciously. "I won't even have anything to make up."

"That's not the point." Seto closed his Calculus book with a loud snap. "What if something had happened to you while you were skipping out on class? Do you really think those idiot friends of yours could have done anything for you except sit there and look clueless."

"Seto don't," Yami said without looking up from his book. "Just…Mokuba will be home soon. Let it be."

Seto scowled at his cousin. After their parents had died in the crash Seto and his brother's had gone to an orphanage, since no one was willing to take them in, and lost all forms of contact with what little family they'd had. Then, after their adoptive father had died, Noa and Mokuba had gotten together for some computer hacking and found out that they're aunt Kasumi lived in Egypt with her son. Kasumi had been, much to their dismay, very ill and Yami had left school to care for her.

She'd died two months after Seto relocated them to Japan. It had been a…hard blow. To finally find family only to have it abruptly ripped away yet again. It had torn at a part of him he'd allowed himself to forget was even there.

It hadn't been any definable sickness that had killed her. Seto knew this for sure because he'd had the best looking into it and the closest they could get was saying it was similar to what was wrong with Noa. (Which wasn't clear either. Weak heart, bad immune system, asthma, easily bruised, sensitive to temperature…)

Yami had decided to stay in Japan with them, for which Seto was grateful. He wasn't sure he could have just dealt with Yami walking off into the sunset. He'd gotten strangely attached to the other teen, even though they competed at everything and had eerily similar personalities. They drove each other crazy half of the time, always wanting to be number one and neither knowing when to must accept defeat.

And, though he'd never say it out loud, he'd been going a little crazy before they'd found Yami and now with his cousin around to take some of the weight off of him it was…a little easier to breathe than it'd used to be. In that way Yami was a weakness to him, reliving the pressure.

At least he'd done a good job of making things simpler until Noa started to rebel against everything from Kaiba Corp to Seto's 'protectiveness' to the fact that Seto was still determined to find out what was wrong with him. And really, he was more determined than ever. If their aunt had died what was to keep Noa from the same fate if not him?

His twin didn't care, but that was to be expected. One day last year Noa had suddenly decided that if Seto was making him go to public school then he was going to go a few steps further. He got a job, eventually bought his own car, and made his own friends. (Never mind that Noa was in public school because he'd insisted Seto get rid of the medical staff that looked after him. Without the doctors keeping an eye on him Seto had need Noa _with_ him to make sure he was okay.)

"I don't need you to protect me from Seto Yami." Noa growled and Seto was a touch surprised to see his teeth bared. "I'm not a goddamn child or an invalid."

"No thanks to you." Seto couldn't help but spit. Noa's lips pressed into a thin line.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean you don't take care of yourself. You spent almost everyday this summer out until the morning, you come home and you reek like smoke and alcohol, and you skip your doctors appointments." He was fighting to keep from yelling, but god he wanted to. He knew that he needed better control but something about Noa had this way of making him lose his composure.

Weakness. Noa was one of his glaringly obvious weaknesses. Even more so than Mokuba because at least Seto only had to worry about kidnappers and crazed fans when it came to the younger teen. Where Noa was concerned every little thing was a potential enemy, from an unexpected rain to dust. No matter what else happened Noa was always in the back of his mind, constantly being worried over.

He wasn't going to let anything happen to him. Seto wasn't going to lose anymore family if he could stop it.

"Sometimes I think you want to die."

Noa's eyes went round and Yami's head snapped up. Seto regretted the words the minute they left the mouth for many many reasons, the least of which wasn't the fact that he'd inadvertently reminded Yami of his mother. Noa sucked in a deep breath, puffing up for a moment, then let it out.

And then he seemed to deflate even more, shoulders slumping as his back hunched over and he seemed to fold into himself.

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Shit

"You think I want to die?" His voice was a whisper but the emotion was in no way lacking. It clawed at that part of Seto that he really wanted to forget existed, the part to breed and nurtured his weakness. He needed to find a way to turn it off.

Maybe Scotch. He'd found that alcohol did a fantastic job at numbing the pain his brother tended to inflict upon him just by…being there.

"You think because I'm tired of being a human pincushion my entire life and having an entire…hospitals worth of people around me at all times and having to have my little brother at an arm's length so he doesn't 'contaminate' me, that I want to die?"

He almost didn't see the bag flying for his head until it was too late. He ducked and the bag crashed into a lamp. It shattered loudly and Yami winced before standing up and staking out with a dark expression on his face. His hand was white-knuckling his book and his lips were near non-existent they were pressed so hard together.

"Sometimes I fucking hate you!" Noa shouted as color sprang to his cheeks. "I don't like being sick Seto! I don't like waking up at nights and not being able to breath or being in the middle of class and wanting to throw up, it's not really that pleasant. I'm just tired of being the 'mysterious Kaiba brother who lives in the goddamn attic'! I don't want to be forty-five and on my deathbed and never left the house. It'd be nice to not be sick, but I'm realistic and so I won't waste what I have."

"You are wasting what you could have. What about when you got sick over the summer?" A total week in bed and another two weeks without leaving the house with the same virus that had put Mokuba under for only a day and a half. "One of these days-"

"I'll catch my death? Well at least I'll have had fun first, unlike you." Noa's eyes narrowed and for a moment he looked like he was going to say something else.

"What's going on?"

They both went rigid and allowed their eyes to slide over and land on their younger brother: Kaiba Mokuba. Recently thirteen and a computer genius in his own right.

Noa rocked back on his heels and Seto looked down at his hands. For a long moment neither spoke. Then Noa sighed.

"I'll be in my room. See you later Mokie."

Seto let out a pained sigh. That sounded like a good idea. "Me too. I have some work to do. Don't forget to do your homework Mokuba."

"Okay big brother," Mokuba said faintly. When Seto walked past he ruffled his youngest brother's long black hair before heading for his room. While the other three keep rooms on the second floor he kept his on the first so he could get in and out of the house at odd hours without waking them.

He shut the door behind him and made a beeline for the liquor cabinet. As he poured a glass of amber liquid he wondered when he and Noa had become so opposed to each other. Once upon a time Noa had been his best friend and partner in all sorts of crime. Bed-ridden or not Noa had a mind that put Seto's to shame and he was always ready with an idea for a prank on their parents or the kids at school who called them names.

Once he and Noa had even had that so-called freaky twin connection. They'd once spoken without using actual words. Just a look and he would know Noa's entire day in an instant.

And now his brother was best friends with that annoying mutt and couldn't stand to look at him, let alone speak to him.

The liquid burned on the way down and he could already feel the pain from the fight starting to drift away.

Sometimes he was jealous of the pup for getting his brother's attention. And, other times in the dark of night when no one was nearby the see him slip, he was jealous of his brother for having the pup's attention.

Another drink chased that thought away.

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Noa: I'm dying?

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Rochelle: Not really…

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Seto: I'm an alcoholic?

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Rochelle: Not exactly….

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Jou: Why am I always so abused?!

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Rochelle: Not really sure.

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Seto: Hush pup. It's about time we get a glimmer of conflict here. If she was trapped in a sealed box she'd waste all of her oxygen just building up to devising a plan to get out. We shouldn't get in her way when she finally manages to plan, we might end up killing her.

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Rochelle: -laughs- Wouldn't surprise me. But hey, aren't you glad you got screen time?

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Jou: Yeah, what's up with that? I thought this was about me.

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Rochelle: …no. What gave you that idea? Equal treatment for all Bishies. The union demands it.

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Seto: Yeah, you made us all equally screwed up…

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Noa: -sneer- It's enough to make a guy wish he'd kill you when he'd had the chance.

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Seto: -Glare-

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Rochelle: Uh… Anyway, push the button, give reviews, make Chelle happy. I'll give review responses next chapter. I was just feeling lazy today. And I have a right, this is nine pages long…


	4. The Shit They Don't Tell You In School

Sometimes Life isn't What You Want

I don't own Yu-gi-oh

Author: Rochelle B

Rating: R/NC-17. It's all about where you pick it up.

Status: Incomplete, Unbeated

Main Pairings thus far: Yami/Yugi, Seto/Jou, Honda/Otogi, and Ryou/Bakura. Everything else is up in the air.

Other: Jou/Honda, but more serious in the past and more playful in the present. Light Bakura/Jou, Bakura/Honda, and Jou/Otogi. Pegasus/Jou, Yugi, Ryou, Noa. Peggy's a dirty perv folks who likes to go after young Ukes…but you knew that already.

Summery: (AU) When a new teacher arrives at Domino High he takes an interest in some of the boys and unlikely people become the greatest of allies.

Warnings: Yaoi, Sex, Rape/Non-con, Language, Violence, Cutting, Drug Use, Prostitution, Angst, Self-Mutilation, D/s, Dark Humor, Perverse Humor, Blackmail, Incest and some others things I can't quite recall. Plus I ripped ideas from another story I was working on but will probably never finish, so it doesn't matter. Yay.

Notes: About Jou's abuse…I never said Jou's father hit him. Noa, Honda, and Bakura just assume that it's Jou's father. And thus the fun part of multiple POV. Heh. Actually I wanted to take a different approach this time.

And, uh, I can spell probably. Just want to get that point across…

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Chapter Four: _The Shit They Didn't Tell You In School_

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Jou pushed open the door of his apartment slowly, on the look out for his-

"Worthless piece of shit!" The fist connected with his chest and he stumbled back, winded. The same hand, deceptively thin and frail looking, tangled in his hair and hauled him inside. He went with little protest, knowing he couldn't fight back. He was all but tossed to the floor.

He stared up at his attacker while rubbing his chest. Another bruise for the collection. She was standing above him, a hand on her hip while the other clutched a cigarette like it was some kind of fucking lifeline. She was tall, about his height, with long tangled red hair. Her amber eyes were bloodshot, her skin washed out and yellowed, as were her teeth and the tips of her fingers. She was wearing a threadbare dress and the raised tracks and needle marks on her arm were plain.

He had it on good authority that she'd once been beautiful, a truly stunning sight that had left young men in awe when she walked down the street. She'd married her high school sweetheart and gave birth to a son and for years they were a happy little family. Then she had a daughter, as beautiful and sweet as she had been. Things had been wonderful and his heart ached in the memory.

He could still see his sisters beautiful face in his mind's eye and sometimes he wished it would just…fade away. Because she was dead. She was dead, had been dead for years, and he hated her with more passion that he felt about anything.

His sister had begun to go blind for a reason they were never really sure of. Jou was supposed to be watching her but he'd run off with Honda and she'd wandered out of the apartment and into the street. She'd never seen the drunk driver coming and his father had been too piss drunk (He'd lost his job that day and had taken a drink for the first time since Jou had been born) to identify his own child. His mother had never been the same. She couldn't have any more children and even if she could they wouldn't make up for her precious baby girl.

She blamed them both and cursed their very existence every time she was sober enough to remember what they had stolen from her.

He felt bad for the bitterness thoughts of his sister brought up. Felt like shit for hating her like he did, but he didn't know what else he could do. His mother had changed when she died, become an angry hateful woman who hated her husband and hated her son and loved the needle. And Jou couldn't hate her, because she was the woman who'd held him when he'd had nightmares.

You couldn't hate your mother. Hating his sister was easier.

"Hi Ma." He muttered. Her expression clouded and before he could move a foot came down on his ribs. He coughed and wheezed, curling in on himself the moment he was able.

"Where have you been Jou? I told you to be home early today! Your stupid shit of a father hasn't paid Keith in a month and now he wants a piece of you."

"Ma-" He trailed in a shriek when she dropped her cigarette, light end first, onto him. It burned through the thin fabric on his already ratty shirt and hit his skin before he could rid his body of it. He heard her laugh and winced at the harsh sound. It was nails on a blackboard and it made his skin crawl.

"Keith said to tell you he'd be in his apartment waiting. Buy me some candy while you're there." Her voice was a little distant now and she swayed on her feet. Jou barely had time to leap up and catch her before she collapsed. He cradled her in his arms and carefully carried her to the bedroom she shared with his father. Bottles and trash littered the floor along with soiled clothing, baggies, and needles.

The place smelt like…hell. He laid her down and pulled the dirty cover over her cadaverous body. She seemed more dead than alive at these moments. Her hand grasped his wrist and squeezed hard enough for him to feel the bones starting to grind together.

"You'll do what I ask right Jou? Buy mummy some candy?"

He sighed, feeling bile well up in the back of his throat. "Yes Ma."

She smiled that disturbingly gap-toothed smile. "Such a good boy you are Katsuya. Mummy doesn't know what she'd do without you. Your father doesn't take care of me like he used to." Her grip didn't loosen and instead became worse. Tears pricked his eyes. He wanted to pull away but was afraid to hurt her.

She hurt so much already…he couldn't bear to make it any worse for her.

Almost as if some vengeful god heard his thoughts she moaned and let go of him to clutch her stomach. "Hurts so much Jou. Make it stop."

"Okay." He bent down to place a kiss to her forehead when she turned abruptly and lips as dry as paper pressed against his own. He jerked back, stomach churning. She just smiled glassy-eyed then rolled over to face the wall.

"Such a good boy."

He shut his eyes for a moment, breathing in sharply. Then he turned, wrapping his arms around his body, and shuffled out. He closed the door shut after himself and headed down that hallway. It smelled like urine and alcohol, a welcome change from his parent's room. The flickering light cast a sickly yellowish glow on the peeling orange-flowered wallpaper. The stairs weren't even better, with only half of the light bulbs actually working. Four lights for nine flights of stairs, casting eerie shadows on the puke green walls and stairs.

He lived on the sixth floor. Keith lived on the ninth. It was the only decent floor in the place. The wallpaper had been painted a light blue color and cream carpet lined it. The doors had been painted over the summer, the same cream as the carpet. Jou smiled slightly as he walked past them. It wasn't exactly his usual kind of paintjob but Keith had given him more money than he'd ever seen in his lifetime for it. It had been about three paychecks at the coffee shop.

He'd used the money to give his sister a proper headstone. Maybe it was his strange way of atoning for letting her die and for hating her the way he did.

Sometime he wondered if maybe he hated himself but he found thinking things like that just made the situation worse than it already was. He couldn't afford for things to get any worse for him; life sucked so much already.

Keith had been talking about letting him do some painting inside the apartments sometime soon. Jou just hoped he didn't bail on the idea; he could use the money. He raised his hand to knock on the apartment door at the very end of the hallway but it swung open. He wasn't able to stop himself from knocking one of Keith's biker lackeys in the nose and winced.

"Opps."

"You fucking whore!" The man, whose name escaped Jou, snarled in a thick accent. British…maybe Australian. "I'll fucking-"

"You'll what?" Keith was standing behind him suddenly. His bandana was slung low over his brow but Jou could still see one of them quirk in mild amusement. "You wouldn't dare lay a hand on what's mine, now would you?"

"No sir." The man muttered and, with one last hateful glare at Jou, pushed past him and stalked towards the steps. Keith chuckled and then pulled Jou inside and slammed the door shut, sliding the lock into place. Jou slide off his beat up sneakers and placed them next to Keith's expensive looking ones.

"Hey kid. Your mother tell you I was looking for you?"

"Yeah. Said you wanted a piece of me."

He tilted his head off to the side and followed Keith towards the man's bedroom. While he technically had the same apartment that Jou had his was much nicer. It was done in muted earth tones and everything was plush and oversized. The carpet was shag and sometimes Jou swore he could sleep on the damn thing and be a hundred times more comfortable than he was in his own bed.

…well, mattress on the floor. Whatever.

Keith nodded and flopped back onto his bed. It was a four-poster with tan silk hangings and dark brown sheets to match. Jou hovered by the doorway, leaning against it. He had never really felt comfortable in Keith's room; on his bed. He felt so…dirty in comparison to all of this expensive stuff. And he knew Keith's cleaning lady winced every time she saw him.

"Only because when I tried to collect my money she tried to seduce me." Keith muttered, wincing at the memory. Jou sighed and looked down at the floor. His small toe was poking through a hole in his left sock. "Hey kid com'ere. Sit down."

Jou complied and, seeing Keith's look of mild amusement, forced himself to relax. He sat cross-legged on the soft and couldn't help but sigh as he looked up through the skylight Keith had installed above his bed. The sun was beginning to set. Noa had dropped him off after work and he'd been hoping to be able to crawl into bed and sleep.

"What's wrong?"

"I didn't get dat promotion at work." Jou couldn't help the bitter chuckle that escaped his lips. "I've been working for dat bastard for two and a half years but he goes and picks some girl who's been there a month and a half just because she wear's extra short skirts and gives great head. Supposedly. I probably give a better blow job dan her."

Keith let out a bark of laughter and Jou offered a slightly twisted smile. That had sounded really bad and he knew it. He probably shouldn't have said it. Keith reached up and pulled him down so he had his head pillowed on the older man's chest. He could feel Keith's heart beat and sighed softly as he curled up against his side.

"School sucks. I mean, art is great-"

"You're great at it."

"Flatterer. And Magi is cool per usual. Da new guy, Garten, hasn't shown up at all the past three week so I get to hang with Magi for two classes. Pegasus, da weird teacher, is…well, he's weird. Always smiling and waving his hands about and leaning in really close to some of da boys when they need help." Jou shook his head. "He's like some kind of weird child molester."

Keith laughed again. "Think you may be over-reacting just a little bit?"

"Prolly." Jou shrugged. Then he sat up and dug into his pocket. He pulled out a wad of bills and, with a slightly forlorn glance, put them on Keith's dresser before resuming his former position. "The money my parents owe you."

Keith nodded. "I don't know why you pay off their debt. You should let them face their own actions. Doing business with a guy like me is stupid."

"Your idea of letting people face their actions is cutting off fingers and toes."

Keith's smile was nothing short of feral. "If you're so weak that you need to waste all of your money on the shit I'm selling, you deserve it. I mean, they come here, see the place I live and the ridiculous way I live, while they live in run down…squalor two floors down and instead of being angry they just keep pissing it away."

"Some people need it." Jou couldn't help but tense up. He loved his parents no matter their flaws. And, as far as drugs went, he couldn't really say he was a lot better. After all how often did he cut out and wander up to the school roof to forget his problems?

"Bullshit." Keith's fingers threaded through his hair. "There is nothing that drugs can solve that a little reality check couldn't handle." A sharp yank. Jou whined low in his throat. "I mean you too kid. I know what you do with your friends. I don't approve."

"Only because it's Honda and Bakura." Honda and Bakura had once, like Jou, been part of Keith's gang. While Honda had run drugs and Bakura had beat the living hell out of people who couldn't pay up, Jou had sat up here and kept Keith company.

So to speak. It was more to keep his parents out of intensive care than for money or anything like that. He hadn't wanted the money really. Sides, Keith was a good guy once you got past the drug-selling thing. He took care of Jou to a certain extent. The door was always open (or at least Jou had a key) and the 'frig was always stocked, as Keith liked to say.

Keith chuckled. "No. I'm glad they got out of this. Selling people death isn't exactly the best business in the world. You were an oddly positive influence on them."

"You're weird Keith. You're a drug dealer but you sound like some kind of 'Just Say No' poster, or some shit like that."

Keith shrugged. "I see it, but I don't touch it. I've seen too many people fall apart."

Jou rolled his eyes then rolled over so he was straddling Keith's waist. "No one has ever fallen apart over a little pot Keith."

"True." Keith's lips twitched. "I just don't want to see the three of you at my door one day willing to sell your soul for a fix."

"Your concern is staggering."

"Someone's gotta keep the kids in this building from falling to shit." Keith was on of 'them'. He'd grown up in the building, with a shit father and a whore mother. Now he owned it and went out of his way to keep the kids in the neighborhood safe. They worked for him but it was probably the safest work around. Before Keith a kid could get killed in the crossfire. Now people avoided the neighborhood for fear of Keith's wrath.

The idea of Keith's wrath seemed kind of funny. This was the guy who sat up with Jou and watched bad horror movies while letting him sit in his lap. He'd bought Honda's motorcycle and paid Bakura's bail every time he ended up in jail.

Wrath…

"I've invested my money Kid, if everyone around here escaped I wouldn't fall into ruin."

"You invested your money?"

"Of course." Keith blinked up at him. "What kind of idiot doesn't invest these days? Everyone with common sense gets a portfolio together."

"Oh my god." Jou couldn't help but collapse into laughter.

"What?"

Jou tried to smother his laughter long enough to speak. "It's just…you sound like a legitimate business man or something instead of a drug pusher."

"Oi, I'm not a drug pusher." He was shoved playfully but kept snickering nonetheless. "I'm a provider. Pusher sounds…like I'm forcing something on somebody."

"Mmhmm." An amused smirk. Keith rolled his eyes.

"I liked you better when you were terrified of me."

Jou's smirk widened. "Sure you did."

"Eh." He shoved Jou off and rolled to his feet. "Want me to have them killed?"

"Who?" Jou knew better than to just dismiss his words. Keith had more than a few corpses under his belts.

"Your boss, the teacher, the chit who took your job, your parents…" He made a vague gesture. "You name it and I'll do it. You know I want to get you-"

"Away from it all. I know." Jou smiled. And this guy was the most feared throughout Domino? "Thanks but I'm-"

"Waiting for your prince charming."

Jou laughed. "Yeah. Besides Mai-"

"Would be pissed off? Pft." Keith winked. "Mai loves you as much as I do kid. She's pretty upset that you're gay you know."

Jou shook his head. Mai was Keith's fiancée and one of Jou's best friends. She'd never given any indication that she had a problem with Keith's little indiscretions though Jou had noticed over the years that they dwindled from dozens to just him. Then again Mai was a unique woman. She ran an operation that rivaled Keith's, plus had a legitimate perfume and cosmetics business. She had once said she didn't mind if Keith screwed around because she was independent and didn't need a man to moon over her or protect her.

As long as she had unlimited wallet access she was fine. And Keith was completely enamored with Mai. Apparently no woman had ever offered quite the challenge she had and it drove him insane in the best of ways.

They were weird.

"No killing. I'll keep it in mind though."

"I'm sure. Hungry?"

"Sure." Jou started to get up to follow Keith to the kitchen when a flash of pain blinded him and the world fell into black.

When his vision faded back in he found that he was on the couch, shirtless, and that Keith was staring down at him in clear disapproval.

"Shit."

"Indeed. Your bitch of a mother being hitting you again? I told her I'd ring her scrawny little neck if she-"

"Lay off. I should get back home."

"You didn't eat. I ordered Chinese."

"Keith-"

"You will sit and eat kid. Period."

"Fine." He was secretly glad. He didn't want to move anyway. His body hurt too much. Normally he was too high on painkillers to really feel it but the effects must have worn off while he was unconscious. He rolled over on his back and found his mind drifting to Honda. It was Saturday and that meant his parents would be getting into a 'Holy Roll' as Honda called it.

Of all of the things Honda was, Christian wasn't one of them. His parents weren't happy about it.

--------------------

"Why won't you just come to church with us this once?" Honda pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to block out the nasal whine of his aunt. She and her family lived next door and every Saturday they forced them together for dinner. They did the same on Sundays but Honda was blessedly excused from such events.

"Because I don't like it."

"It's not supposed to be fun." His father's gruff voice from the table.

Honda snorted. "No shit." His mother gasped as if she'd never heard him curse before. "I'm not going. I don't like it."

"If you would go I now you would feel the love of Christ. Once you feel it you can't deny it."

Honda blinked. "All the more reason to stay away while I can."

His uncle didn't get the joke apparently. "This is the influence of that boy, that…Katsuya kid. You were such a good kid until you meet him. You obeyed your parents, did your school work,"

'Sold drugs to make money.' Honda added mentally. It was scary how little people could know about their own relatives. If not for Jou and Bakura (and Noa to some extent) he'd be a very different person. He just rolled his eyes and nodded obligingly.

"Without Jesus you'll allow sin to creep into your heart. You'll fall victim to things like drugs, drunkenness, premarital sex and fornication-" He didn't have the heart to tell them he'd already done all of that. "And homosexuality. I've heard things about your school you know. One of those teachers is supposedly living with another man. A Magi."

His aunt looked as if she might faint as he she said it. He knew he shouldn't say anything. The best way to deal with his family was silence. But at the mention of Sensei Magi he felt as if he had to say something in the man's defense.

"You know I'm bisexual right?"

It had the desired effect. His father turned a sickly molted purple, his mother actually swooned, his sister sighed before glaring at him as if to say 'great going asshole', his uncle leapt to his feet and started screaming about sin and perversion, and his aunt hurried over to his mother's side.

He just snickered and stood up. He walked away and his uncle followed still shouting. He grabbed his coat and headed for the door. He'd just crash at Bakura's place for the night. They'd be over it by morning no doubt. They were pains in the behinds, but they loved him.

"I'll be at Bakura's. Number's in my room, under Jou's." He paused for a moment then smirked. "You know I slept with Miho? And Jou? And that girl down the street. Twice. And I still don't know her name?"

There was a crashing sound and his uncle made a noise like he was choking. Honda laughed and slipped out of the door.

That had been way too much fun to be legal.

He was going to hell and he didn't even really believe in the place. He laughed out loud as he wheeled his motorcycle down the driveway.

-------------------------------

Sooo…what did you think? Don't worry about Keith getting in the way of things; he's just someone who will come in handy when Jou needs to escape his parents. Anyway, I promise review responses next chapter. I was lazy today.


	5. Stupid Hippie Teachers

Sometimes Life isn't What You Want

I don't own Yu-gi-oh

Author: Rochelle B

Rating: R/NC-17. It's all about where you pick it up.

Status: Incomplete, Unbeated

Main Pairings thus far: Yami/Yugi, Seto/Jou, Honda/Otogi, and Ryou/Bakura. Everything else is up in the air.

Other: Jou/Honda, but more serious in the past and more playful in the present. Light Bakura/Jou, Bakura/Honda, and Jou/Otogi. Pegasus/Jou, Yugi, Ryou, Noa. Peggy's a dirty perv folks who likes to go after young Ukes…but you knew that already.

Summery: (AU) When a new teacher arrives at Domino High he takes an interest in some of the boys and unlikely people become the greatest of allies.

Warnings: Yaoi, Sex, Rape/Non-con, Language, Violence, Cutting, Drug Use, Prostitution, Angst, Self-Mutilation, D/s, Dark Humor, Perverse Humor, Blackmail, Incest and some others things I can't quite recall. Plus I ripped ideas from another story I was working on but will probably never finish, so it doesn't matter. Yay.

Notes: Okay. The plot starts about now. Up until it was, as D.Mag says, busy work.

-

Chapter Five: _Stupid Hippie Teachers_

-

It was Monday again. Jou was, in according to his 'routine' sitting in the grass next to Noa and Honda's parking spots, waiting for his friends to show up.

Jou looked up from his homework as Honda came tearing into the parking lot, helmet-less per usual. It was very much against the rules and the staff kept threatening Honda with suspension if he didn't start to follow the rules, but he didn't seem to care much.

He arched an eyebrow in surprise at Bakura, who was clinging to Honda with a bemused expression on his face. The white-haired teen looked a little shaky on his feet as he slid off of the bike. He shook his head as if to clear it then scowled.

"You're fucking nuts."

"Thanks." Honda's smirk was nothing short of evil.

"How the hell did you get a license?"

The brunette's smirk grew. "Seriously? I blew the instructor. Best lay he'd gotten in years according to him."

Bakura blinked then snorted. "The worst part has to be that I'm not sure if to take you seriously or not."

Seto Kaiba's car pulled into the lot and, just like every other day, Seto and Yami climbed out. Yami glanced over at them then, frowning at his cousin, covered the short distance between them. Bakura and Honda stiffened, ready for the exchange of blows that usually followed this sort of action.

Yami crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at him. "Noa's sick but won't listen to us and is coming to school anyway. Keep an eye on him."

Jou was a little bit surprised at this display of…neutrality but nodded. "Not a problem."

Yami nodded then returned to Seto, who had a very deep scowl on his lips. Apparently he didn't approve of this little arrangement which did add a sort of perverse pleasure to it. For Jou anyway. Annoying Seto was one of his favorite pastimes after all.

They didn't have to wait long for Noa to pull up. And, just as Yami had said, he looked terrible. His hair was sticking out at weird angles, his nose was red, and he had heavy bags under his eyes. He was wearing a pair of tan cargos that looked a couple sizes too big and a long sleeved shirt that hung off of his shoulders.

"You look like shit Kid." Bakura said mildly. Honda elbowed him hard in the ribs

"Suck my cock." Noa muttered. He pushed past them and shuffled towards the entrance of the school. Jou arched an eyebrow at his friend's behavior. Someone was a very cranky sick person.

"Was he like dat last time he was sick?" Bakura made a noise to the negative then, with a shrug, headed inside to follow after Noa. "O-kay den. What's up with 'Kura on your bike?"

"Told my parents what a sinful person I am and decided it'd be best to lay low for a bit. You know, give them a chance to calm down?"

Jou nodded. Bakura's apartment was pretty much the place to go when you had nowhere else to go. He lived in alone in a surprisingly nice place downtown, complete with heated pool and gym. The only thing that so much as hinted at his past was a picture of a black-haired girl on his bedside table. He'd once grunted something along the lines of 'little sister' before falling into his usual silence.

"Going back today?"

"Probably. Need to stop at your locker?"

"No. Got my stuff with me dis time."

As they spoke they walked into the school and up to their homeroom. Bakura and Noa were already inside, Bakura sitting next to Noa and watching the teen expressionlessly. The green-haired teen's head was on the desk and he wasn't moving. They slide into the seats in front of them, Jou pulling out his Algebra homework again.

"You're all on time. I'm shocked." Magi deadpanned as he walked into the room. The bell rang shortly thereafter and he shut the door. Anyone late would have to get a pass from the office but, as the man had pointed out, everyone was already there.

The downside of getting Magi for homeroom had exposed itself quickly. As Noa had said on the first day, he was always in homeroom with his brother and cousin and, as he had predicted, Yami and Seto were in there. They sat in the front row, in the first two seats. Behind them was a blond girl named Rebecca, who was barely old enough to be in middle school, and Anzu, who was talking on her cell phone animatedly.

Behind them were Mouto and Bakura, as in the two kids who looked like Yami and Bakura only shorter and more girly. Bakura sat next to Mouto and Noa sat next to him. Of course Jou and Honda sat in front of them. There were two empty seats in front of Jou but they were always empty.

Ironically enough, with the exception of Rebecca, these were the exact same people Jou had History, English, and Gym with. Lucky him.

"Just a friendly note, we start history for real today." Magi said after taking roll. Jou looked up with a frown. 'For Real'? What had they been doing for the past two weeks then?

He wasn't the only one who wanted to know, because Seto asked the exact thing he'd been wondering. Magi smiled brightly and Jou sighed. Yet another day.

-

__

Magi's POV

"Busy work. I had some things I needed to do and couldn't be bothered with things like teaching."

Seto's eyebrow became part of his hairline. "_Busy work_?"

"That's what I said Mr. Kaiba. Does that bother you?" Magi tilted his head off to the side. "I certainly hope it doesn't. I'd hate to have a repeat of last year, wouldn't you?"

It was no real secret that Magi and Seto hadn't gotten along in the least the year prior. Allegedly Seto didn't appreciate Magi's lack teaching style or strange, time-consuming projects and Magi didn't appreciate Seto's better-than-thou attitude or opinions on how he should run his class. They'd clashed terribly at every possible juncture and it had resulted in Kaiba just barely squeaking past (much to Magi's amusement.) and Magi gathering up more than a few complaints.

He was, however, willing to sacrifice a percentage of his pay in order to see people like Seto put into their proper place.

Plus the fact he had years of pent up jock-hate he was just dying to let out.

Allegedly of course. Nothing beyond him being a total geek-outcast-loser could be confirmed and so no one could really prove he'd been tormented in his youth. And thusly no one could really accuse him of bias since there was no evidence to back it up. Right about now Kido (who'd been a teacher when Magi was in school) was wishing someone had bothered to record all of the shit he'd had to put up with at least to have evidence that he could potentially be biased.

But there was only speculation.

He grinned slightly. Just like those bodies in his back yard. (A/N: He's kidding. I think.)

"Of course not. Sir."

"Wonderful. I'm glad we could be on the same page." Magi smiled and pointedly ignored the dirty look that Seto was sending him. That taken care of, for the time being because there had never been a student more stubborn that Kaiba Seto, turned his attention to his other students. He pushed his glasses up abruptly, regarding the way Bakura Ryou was hunched in his chair and Mouto Yugi was rubbing his back in what seemed to be soothing circles.

He sighed. Not again. "Ryou go to the nurses office would you? Ask her for some ice for your eye so it doesn't swell."

"Yes'sir." The slight albino muttered. His head had been bowed but now, as he stood up, the fact that he had a dark blue ring around his eye was obvious. His lip was also busted and could do with a little ice. One of these days Magi was going to find out who was beating up Ryou and Yugi. This was an almost everyday occurrence: He'd walk in and one could be comforting the other but neither would tell him who was tormenting them.

He wasn't shocked. He never told either. Still…

It just wasn't right. At least when kids had messed with him he'd been able to fight back, but kids like these two were small. Fragile. Breakable.

"Do you want Yugi to go with you?" He would have liked to think that the two of them walking the halls together would protect them from harm, but he hadn't truly been that optimistic since he was a child. It'd probably just make them a more noticeable target. Ryou's good eye widened in fear and he shook his head frantically.

"Okay. Give me a moment to write you a pass." Magi smiled thinly as he spoke. He didn't want his friend to be hurt. This was going to have to call for a new tactic. He let his eyes go over to the other corner of the room. He wouldn't admit it but these four were his favorite, even though he didn't know Bakura so well.

They reminded him of himself. Standing on the edge of nothingness with more violence than comfort in the past and a future that held much the same. Though he heard that Keith was getting things cleaned up in the old neighborhood. He'd had to go and check it out soon.

He missed Keith and was kind of interested in this girl he was supposed to be marrying.

The thoughts left his mind as he noticed the scene. Jou was working on some kind of homework but only half of his attention was on it. The rest was on Noa, and the same went for Bakura and Honda. Noa's head was flat on his desk, lips parted to draw in shaky breaths. He frowned and walked over before crouching next to Bakura's desk. "Noa do you need to see the nurse?"

Half glazed eyes flickered over to him. Noa swallowed thickly and shook his head. "No. I just need a little sleep. I'll get it in computer."

"Ah." Liar. And a terrible liar at that. "Okay. I was wondering if you and Bakura would mind walking Ryou down to the nurse. I don't want anyone to…well." His eyes flickered back over to Ryou who was looking at the ground and clutching his books like some kind of shield.

Noa blinked then nodded and forced himself to sit up. He put a hand to his head (Magi imagined to ward off the wave of dizziness moving caused) then stood. Bakura was on his feet and, though he didn't touch the other teen, hovered near him nervously. He stood as well, reaching over and grabbing Jou's notebook.

The blond made a half-hearted noise of protest as he quickly scribbled the time, date, and names of the boys as well as the destination. He ripped it out and handed it to Bakura before leaning in and lowering his voice.

"If you see any kids watching Ryou-"

"I'll handle it." Bakura's smile was fierce and showed off his pointed teeth. "Nothing will happen to him on my watch."

Magi nodded and moved from the white-haired teen's personal space. After all he was pretty sure if provoked Bakura could kick his ass. They left and Magi couldn't help but notice that Seto was doing a very bad job of not watching them leave the room.

He was worried about his brother. Very sweet considering that Noa had almost been friendless because Seto had pretty much sent out an order among the student body the year before to stay away from his brother or else.

Thankfully people like Noa's friends didn't respond well to 'Or else' type situations.

He handed Jou back his notebook and, after glancing around the class to make sure nothing else needed to be handled, walked to his desk in the back of the classroom. Roll was taken, pressing injuries attended to, so it was about time for the morning announcements to come on.

Done by the Draco family they proved to be a good five minutes of mild amusement for the rest of the school. True to form Raji Draco, (1) the lone girl in the family, appeared on the TV screen after a moment of silence. Red eyes peered out from a mass of untamable black hair.

"Today's lunch menu includes Monday Mystery Meat, which is basically Friday Fried Feast with boiled paste sauce on top. Mashed potatoes flakes, also smothered in paste sauce, left over corn in the form of corn pudding, and of course hamburgers." She blinked then tossed a note card over her shoulder. "In other news gym classes officially start today with the separating of students into this grading periods sports. Dodge ball, boys basketball, co-ed flag football, and girls aerobics will be the options. As usual seniors will have first pick."

As if to show her displeasure with that she sneered and gave the camera the finger. Magi snorted. She was a junior this year and in his advanced class. She's proven to be an interesting girl, unlike her older brothers who never ceased to get on her nerves.

"Can she do dat?" Jou asked, head cocked to the side.

"No." Magi said as he let his attention drift back to the pile of teacher memos on his desk. They'd been piling up since the first day. He really needed to start poking through them. "That's why it's funny."

"Head Cheerleader Anzu announced on Saturday that the sports teams would be holding a Fall Festival in order to raise money for the football team to get new uniforms and balls, as well as the annual Halloween Senior Ball. Today marks day thirteen of the Sensei Garten watch, as the elusive new teacher has yet to be spotted. The only one with any sort of news is Sensei Magi and in true snarky form he refused to talk to reporters and instead demanded to know why Blair Draco had yet to turn in his junior history project from last year. Blair and his partner Blaine(2) are without comment. That's it for Draco Domino News and this is Raji Draco signing off."

The TV cut off after that. It had ended earlier than usual. Kido must have been watching and demanded they pull the plug. It happened two or three times a week.

He was about to toss yet another memo into the garbage when a name jumped out. He read the memo again then smirked.

"Mr. Kaiba would you be so kind as to come back to my desk." He could feel the hatred rolling off of the teen as he closed his ever-present laptop. He shuffled over, annoyance plain, and stood before him, lips pressed into a thin line. Magi smiled and pointed to the lavender memo. "According to this you've failed to receive any art credits since your freshman year, a truly impressive feat since drawing stick figures in Art Basics is likely to get you at least a credit. Mrs. Mystic would like for you to come down to the art department right away to discuss you making up the credits, which is a requirement to graduating. Would you like a pass."

As he watched the teen's eye twitch he sat back in his chair with a sigh. Well. His Monday was officially improved. Abusing power was so much fan.

-

__

Seto's Pov. (He is not happy)

Seto hated that sorry excuse for a teacher. Sensei Magi seemed to live to see him squirm and took a personal delight in his discomfort. He knew that in a technical sense it was half his fault for provoking the man like he had the previous year but how the hell was he supposed to know that the hippie wouldn't back down under the threat of losing his job.

In fact Magi had laughed. Hard. Then shrugged and said he didn't like his job that much anyway and he'd be damned before he let a child push him around

A _child!_

Magi had nerve, Seto would give him that. Seto made more in a day than he made in a year and probably had more responsibilities than he could dream of, yet he was to be considered a child because of what? A eight year age difference.

Hardly.

"Hello Kaiba-kun." Speaking of hippie teachers. "I was afraid Derek's forgetful nature would keep you from getting my notice."

Sensei Mystic was a nice woman. So nice in fact that under normal circumstances Seto wouldn't find a reason to dislike her. Today however was the day he got his reason. She'd made him look weak in front of Magi with her stupid memo about not managing any art credits. Really, what kind of idiot couldn't get art credits?

It was humiliating.

And not true. He'd taken cartooning in his freshman year. He said as much to the fair skinned woman and was rewarded with a small smile. Instantly his anger was gone. Damn her and her utterly serene nature. She brushed a strand of golden hair behind her ear while blue green eyes sparkled at him playfully. There was simply something about her that made all of her students…relax. (3)

"You…didn't meet the course requirements." She shrugged slightly. "I'm afraid you never turned in a final project. As you are required to have two credit in Arts and Humanities, and you have none, I'm going to make you an offer."

"Let's here it." He put his best 'business proposal' face on. She blinked at him mildly then laughed, a light tinkling sound.

"Please relax Kaiba-kun, I promise my offer won't bite. You needn't be so serious; your aura is quite dark as is."

He sighed. Stupid hippies. "Of course Sensei Mystic. What is your offer?"

"I've talked to Sensei Magi-Gaia(4)-" Yet another hippie. "And she's agreed to allow you into her Gourmet Foods class next semester which will assure you one humanities credit. In order to get the art credit I want you to act as my model for a select group of POP students. We will be studying the human form and the model I usually use is expecting and, though I think drawing the pregnant form would be educational I'm having a difficult time getting clearance from the school board."

"You want me to be a model."

"Yes."

"And if I do it you'll give me the credit."

"Absolutely. And you needn't worry about anything as I will hand select the students allowed in this class from an already select group. Only five or six will be admitted."

"Will I be nude?" He kept his tone carefully neutral and bordering on clinical, as if he was explaining how his latest product worked to some of the partners in Kaiba Corp. Her smile grew slightly.

"Towards the end of the semester, yes, the nude form will studied. Surely this won't be a problem for one as handsome and in shape as yourself."

He should have said no and walked away. There was a lot of humiliation potential in this 'offer' of hers and he didn't want to risk that sort of thing. Then again only a few select students would know about it and he couldn't argue out of this needing credits thing with Kido. The man was undaunted by even his most evil of glares because of all the New Age Touchy-Feely crap that filled his head.

"I'll do it. When will you need me?"

"Last period on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays, starting this Friday. You should dress casual, jeans and a t-shirt, and bring a book or work with you."

"Won't I need to be standing still?"

She laughed again and shook her head at him. "Only for a short time. After they get basic sketches of you down you should be able to move around some. They won't be drawing you posed per se."

Seto nodded then, with a respectful bow, left her office and began to walk through the art classroom. The art department was in the same building as the shop and technology departments, taking up the whole second floor of it. Mystic was the head of the department which explained the lack of…well, walls. Rather than individual classrooms there was one big open room that reminded him faintly of the gym, with sinks and metal cabinets lining the walls.

There seemed to be three cabinets in a group, each painted some bright cheerful color, and then a meter of space before a new group started. The desks were arranged in a circle within the confines of each cabinet group and painted in the same colors. In the middle of each circle was a desk, though in some cases a podium. He assumed that the teachers worked there and that drawing subjects went there.

Already students were filtering in and seemed to know exactly which 'grouping' to go to. Teachers were taking out supplies and a soft buzz of conversation was beginning.

The open classroom idea seemed silly to him (increasing artist flow…) but arts in general seemed silly so perhaps it made sense in that fashion.

"What the hell are you doing up here Kaiba?" He looked up and turned to see his favorite dog, as the case was, frowning at him. Jou was holding a large brown envelope which was tied shut with reddish thread.

__

Be nice to him! Tell him your modeling for the art teacher, he loves art. He'll think you're deep! Do it!

"None of your business Mutt. Don't you know not to butt into the affairs of your masters."

__

Ugh. Fucktard. You're a fucktard. I quit. Seto frowned. Could his inner voice…quit?

"I will never understand how you and Noa can be related, let alone twins. What was it, he got the personality and you got the psychical ability?"

Seto opened his mouth to tell Jou to got to hell, or something along those lines, when Sensei Mystic came bouncing over, long pale blue dress flowing after her.

"Ah, Katsuya, my favorite student." Jou blushed and ducked his head, apparently forgetting about Seto. "Did you bring it?"

"'Course." He hastily opened the envelope and pulled out an easel. For a moment all Seto could see was the back. Then Jou flipped it around for Mystic to see and Seto couldn't help but gasp.

It was an oil painting of a girl.

On one side she was standing in the bright sunlight, eyes open and a serene, inviting smile curving her lips. Two large wings, snowy white, extended behind her, one right above the other. She was dressed in translucent white and her hand was outstretched as if to say 'Come to Me'. Her rust colored hair flowed around her face and a golden halo cast a soft glow on her. On the other side everything was cast in blue and black shadows, with a sliver of a 'broken' crescent moon in the corner. Thick rust colored hair flew at all angles, untamed and whipping about in some invisible wind. A twisted horn adorned her head, along with half of a bone tiara. Her lips were curved into a smirk and her eyes were narrowed in the promise of pain. She was wearing a tight black dress, tattered and torn around the edges.

"Wonderful." Mystic took it and effectively broke the spell it had cast upon Seto. "I'll set it up for the Basic classes to see. Thanks again."

"No prob." The blond waved the woman off then turned to Seto with a scowl. "So moneybags lets hear how much you hate it and how you've seen better art at those fancy gallery openings I'm sure you go to."

Seto wanted to tell him it was beautiful, way better than anything he'd ever seen at some 'fancy gallery opening' and that he wondered who the girl was to…get so much out of Katsuya. Wanted to know how he could get something out of him.

He snorted. "You aren't worth the time." He walked past Jou, ignoring the baleful glare the teen shot him.

-

-

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1: Raji Draco Red Eyes Black Dragon

2: Blaine and Blair Draco Two of the four Blue Eyes White Dragons

3: Could it be that Ella Mystic is the Mystic Elf? Maybe?

4: Donna Magi-Gaia is the Dark Magician Girl and Derek's sister. And married to Gaia apparently…


End file.
